J-ohn merlett



www:

. MERLETT.

SPIKE.

Patented Apr. 9, 1867.

@uiten gieten @anni @fitta JOHN MERLETT, oF `BjoUNo BROOK, NEW JERSEY. Letters Patent No. 63,738, dated April 9, 1867; antefhztefl April l, 1867 IMPROVEMENTS IN SPIKES fthe' .Sdgchnle trfcrrtt tu ilttlitse Eclats gatczit mit mating plutot tige 5min.

To ALL WHoM IT'MAY conocen:

Be it known that I,`JOIIN MERLETT, of Bound Brook, in the county of Somerset, and Stato of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvcments'in-Spikes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, roteren ce being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this-specification, iz: whichl Figure 1 is a side view cfa spike constructed according to my invention.

Figure 2 isa side view of the same at right angles -to iig. 1.

VSiiniIa-r letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both figures.

This invention relates more especially to railroad spikes, and/ift consists in a novel construction of a spike whereby it lis prevented from being drawn out of the wood into which it lmay be driven, and whereby the entrance of'moisture between the spike and the wood surrounding the saine, and consequently thcprematuro decay ot' the wood and the corrosion of the'spikeresulting. therefrom, are eicctually prevented y To .enable others to understand 4the construction and operation oi' my inventioml will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.' I V A represents the body of theispikc, V which is madefoursided, with two of its opposite sides made tapering or inclined'at its lower end, as1 shown at a, lso that thezlowercnd of the spike is brought to a cuttingledgc, `as at I1. Formed upon and projecting out from cach of these inclined sides of the lower end of the spike is a tapering or wedge-shaped rib, c, the upper'cn'd ot' which forms a square shoulder, c', situated at right'anglcs to the side of the body of the spike, as shown more clearly in-g. 2. Formed upon and projecting outil-om cach of the two remaining or flat sides of the lower end of the spike is a similar wedge-shaped rib, 1i', the lower end of which forms a portion of the cutting edge b at the lower end of the spike, and the upper end of which connstitutcs a shoulder, d', corresponding to the shoulders c ofthe ribs Ac. B is the oblong head of the spike, which, when the spike is used, acts upon the flange of the rail to hold the rail in place in the same manner as the heads of the spikes in ordinary us'c. The sidef of thespikefrom which the greatest length oi' thehead B' projects is made plain and straight clear up to the said head, but formed Aupon the remaining'threc sides of the spike :it a little distance below the said head is a long outwardly projecting lug,g, the three outer sides or faccsof which 'are made sloping or inclined inward toward theirv lower edges, as shown at g in iig. l, and the under sides `of which are formed at an acutc'angle to I(besides of the body of the spike, 'so that the lower edge ol' the said lng g constitutes a cuttingcdgc, n', The spike is driven into tho wenden tic or sleeper in the usual manner, with the longest portionof its head, B, placed upon the flange of the rail, as hercinbcforc niontioncd, the absence ci'` alug upon the sidefallowiug the body of the spike to be brought closely against the cdgc of thc said lauge. The spike being thus driven into the wood, thc expansion ofcthc wood inward over tho shoulders c and d of the ribs c and d etl'ectually prevents thc'spike from being retracted or withdrawn. Furthermore, as thc spike is driven downward the cutting edge n of thc lug y smoothly cuts away the wocdlaccratcd by the passageof the ribs on the sides of the spke'on which the said lug is formed in such manner that as the spike driven down the inclined outer sides of the said lng are causedl to i'it against the surrounding wood, near the upper surface thereof, with suiicient tightness to prevent the entrance of water between thc wood and the upper part pf the spike, 'thus ohvinting al1 danger of the decay of the wood from the presence of moisture around the spike, and also, in a great measure, thc oxidation and corrosion of the spike itself` from the same cause.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- V 1. The wedge-shaped ribs c d, forming 'shoulders n d at their upper ends, and arranged upon the lower portion of the spike, substantially as herein sot forth for the purpose specified.

2.V The lug g, constructed with a cutting edge, n', and with inclined sides g', in combination and arranged in relation with the wcdgc-shapcd ribs c d and with the body of the spike, substantially as herein sot f 'orth for the purpose specified.

JNO. MERLETT.

Witnesses:

J. 4W. Coonns, G. -W. REED. 

